It's getting to be about that time again. Looking to do a mix of road and trails. I currently have a 17ish year old Gary Fisher. I walked into a bike shop years ago and bought it without being fitted, but on longer rides it's not all that comfortable. Today's ergonomics of bike are totally different than they used to be also.

After reading some reviews, people are just OK with it, mainly with how heavy the wheels and tires are. But most entry level bike reviews all seem to be the same "needs some upgrades". Like most people getting into it, I have no idea what I am looking at. I think with it being 19" it'll be too big for me 5'8" 30ish inseam.

well heres my ride is a haro vr1 26" bike i bought back in 2007 as a NOS bike and im looking to get back into riding but i know next to nothing about mountain bikes. So what do u guys think about think about this bike? Is it worth getting new tires and riding it to work or should i look for something else?

the 3700 series isn't all that great. Its best you step up to a 4000 or better series. I paid that much for mine an gave it away once I stepped up to a 4500. IMHO all the other bikes you listed are better than it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJontherox

I figured it would be too much, especially for basically the same price I could get this

I plan on shopping around and testing some possibly today, I don't really plan on buying today as I want to get the right fit for me.

I bought a brand new Trek Marlin WSD last year for my girlfriend to ride. After getting on it and riding it for a few minutes I fell in love. I ended up finding a used Redline d440. It's been a great bike so far. I am 5'9ish with a 30"ish inseam. I went with the small (15") frame and it seems perfect. Kickstand tells me I look like a circus bear in it, but fukc him. I like the 29ers.

I looked at a 4300 that was on close out for $650ish from 800, I really liked at and was drawn to it instantly. I test rode a marlin 29 er that was a 15.5" that seemed to fit me well. It's tough to climb on a bike and ride a couple laps around the parking lot and say "yep it fits great". I definitely liked the ergonomics of the 29er better than my current bike.

The sales douche was no help at all either. I asked a few questions and he gave me the generic "yes" salesman answers. When I asked about sizing of frame he asked how tall I was. The funny thing about it was he was the exact same height as me. His answer was get on and get one that feels comfortable and go with it.

Almost every single manufacturer is now building their bikes in taiwan or china, both aluminum and carbon.

If you want an american made bike purchase an Intense. www.intensecycles.com . Still manufactured (aluminum bikes) here in the US.

I prefer transition's, although they are welded over seas all of the design and development is done in the US (Washington) and is a rider owned company of about 8-10 guys, even most of their professional riders work for the company monday through friday. I really want to pick up a transition covert to add to my stable. But they also make a nice 26 or 29" cross country mountain bike in the transition transam.

So is Redline still the top of the line like it was in the 80s and 90s?

I thought I remember hearing that Redline and Mongoose were now owned by cheap Chinese crap peddlers. I did some searches when looking for what to get my daughter so I didn't over pay for junk.

A lot of manufacturers have been lured into selling department store grade bikes as well as some bike shop grade bikes.....redline is one of them. Some redlines are nice bikes (like kixx's bike), and some are shit.

You're still safe with a trek, giant, specialized for the standard well known names. With Redline, GT, and diamondback you have to be a bit more educated to know what you are getting.

I don't know if it was this thread or in another but I posted a chart with the varying levels of shimano components as well as sram components, typically if the bike is stock, that's a good way to determine what kind of quality you are getting.

If it's not spec'd with shimano or sram components ie: brakes, drivetrain, shifters, etc there's a fairly good chance it's not a very high quality bike.

Just like jeeps, buggies, etc. you get what you pay for, and there are varying levels of what is deemed acceptable for what you plan to do with your bike.